Editor’s Note

Welcome to Newswire — your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what action we can take to make our city great, featuring public meeting coverage by City Bureau’s Documenters.

Quote of the Week

“With climate change, extreme storms and flooding are only becoming more common in the region, and the purpose of the Watershed Management Ordinance is to protect our communities … We believe the district’s WMO should be strengthened over time — not weakened.”

— Tessa Murray on behalf of the Friends of the Chicago River.

[Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Board of Commissioners, Aug. 8, 2024]

Conventional wisdom

Members of the 1st Police District Council kept their latest meeting brief as the expected guest speakers — staff from the Democratic National Convention — were not present. (The 1st Police District Council, which covers large swaths of the Loop to the Near South Side and spans seven different aldermanic wards, will be host to a majority of the looming DNC traffic next week.) 

Instead, the council encouraged community members to attend DNC security meetings Aug. 7 and warned that traffic and parking will be heavily restricted. The DNC will take place next week, from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22, with daytime programming taking place at McCormick Place and evening events at the United Center.

Flood control

Amendments to stormwater regulations could affect flooding and contamination of rivers in the Chicago area. Tessa Murray of Friends of the Chicago River, an advocacy organization which works to improve the health of the Chicago River system, spoke to multiple amendments to the Watershed Management Ordinance that were proposed in May. 

Murray said amendments made to the volume control requirements, which applies to the management of stormwater, could negatively impact areas prone to flooding and create an environment where toxic stormwater could easily contaminate the Chicago and Calumet rivers. Murray spoke in favor of an amendment which expands protections for riparian zones, which border bodies of water and drainage areas.

Expanding de-escalation

Members of the 10th Police District Council stressed the need for de-escalation and anti-violence work amidst a rise in shootings in the community. Residents of the district, which covers parts of Little Village, recently held a prayer vigil for a 3-month-old baby and 21-year-old man who were in critical condition after being injured in a drive-by shooting last month. 

Council members called for an expansion of community-based de-escalation programs, including the Flatlining Violence Inspires Peace — or FLIP— program, which hires and trains residents prone to be impacted by gun violence in de-escalatory practices.

A version of this story was first published in the August 15, 2024 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.

Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Editorial Director Ariel Cheung at ariel@citybureau.org.